Trump orders probe into whether steel imports harming US

by DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press

President Donald Trump hold up the Veterans Choice Program Extension and Improvement Act that he signed, Wednesday, April 19, 2017, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is directing the administration to investigate whether steel imports are jeopardizing U.S. national security.

In the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump signed a memo ordering the investigation while surrounded by executives from U.S. steelmakers.

A 1960s trade law gives the president authority to restrict imports if they are determined to be harmful to U.S. security interests. The law requires that the investigation be concluded within 270 days. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says the timeline will be expedited.